Killers responsible for lynching of Das must get exemplary punishment: Hindus in Bangladesh

Dhaka, Dec 26 Members of the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance - the Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mahajote - formed a human chain and held a protest rally in Dhaka on Friday, demanding justice and detailed investigation into last week's brutal killing of Hindu youth Dipu Chandra Das.

25-year-old Das was lynched by a mob over false blasphemy accusations on December 18. Dozens of radicals killed Das and then hung his body from a tree before setting it on fire. The shocking incident has invited worldwide criticism.

On Thursday, Bangladeshi media reported the killing of another Hindu youth, identified as 29-year-old Amrit Mondal, who was allegedly lynched by a mob in the Hossaindanga area of Kalimohar Union in Bangladesh late Wednesday.

During Friday's protest, members of the Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mahajote called for immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of the perpetrators of Hindu genocide.

The rally, which was organised in front of the National Press Club, saw participation of about 400 people and witnessed calls for swift legal action and exemplary punishment for those responsible behind orchestrating genocide of Hindus.

The event was chaired by Dinabandhu Ray, President of the organisation, and conducted by Kishore Kumar Barman, its organising secretary, in the presence of Gobindo Chandra Pramanik, Secretary General of Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance.

Those who spoke at the rally included Advocate Pradip Pal, Executive President of the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance, and Sajib Kundu Tapu, President of the Bangladesh National Hindu Student Council. All of them urged authorities to ensure a speedy trial and accountability for all those involved and energised the gathering with chants of 'Jai Sri Ram'.

Speakers in unison described the killing as a brutal act and demanded that those responsible be brought to justice without delay.

In New Delhi on Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) too voiced its grave concern over the persistent incidents of violence targetting religious minorities - including Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists - in Bangladesh and asserted that it is keeping a close watch on the ongoing developments in the neighbouring country.

"India is closely monitoring developments and has expressed grave concern over the continued hostility of minorities, including Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists. We condemn the recent killing of a Hindu youth in Mymensingh and expect that the perpetrators of the crime would be brought to justice. More than 2,900 incidents of violence against minorities, including cases of killings, arson, and land grabs, have been documented by sources during the tenure of the interim government. These incidents cannot be brushed aside as mere media exaggerations or dismissed as political violence," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a weekly media briefing on Friday.

Slamming the "unremitting hostility" against minorities in Bangladesh, India also rejected the false anti-India narrative being projected in Bangladesh while reiterating that maintaining law and order and ensuring security is the responsibility of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.

"We have rejected the false narrative that is being projected in Bangladesh. Maintaining law and order and security is the responsibility of the Bangladesh interim government. To portray a narrative where things in some other direction is completely false and we reject that," said Jaiswal.

Bangladesh has witnessed escalating violence against minorities, including Hindus under the Yunus-led interim government, sparking outrage among people and several human rights organisations across the globe.

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